stratus

American  

[strey-tuhs, strat-uhs] / ˈstreɪ təs, ˈstræt əs /

noun

strati plural

1. a cloud of a class characterized by a gray, horizontal layer with a uniform base, found at a lower altitude than altostratus, usually below 8,000 feet (2,400 meters).

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stratus British  

/ ˈstreɪtəs /

noun

1. a grey layer cloud Compare cirrus cumulus

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stratus Scientific  

/ străt′əs,strā′təs /

strati plural

1. A diffuse, grayish cloud that often produces drizzle and is formed primarily in altitudes no higher than 2,000 m (6,560 ft). A stratus cloud close to the ground or water is called fog.

2. See illustration at cloud

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• strati
  plural

Etymology

Origin of stratus

1795–1805; < Latin strātus; see stratum

Explanation

A low, flat cloud is called a stratus. When the sky is full of stratus clouds, it can make the day feel gray and dull. Stratus can be used as a noun or an adjective: "I can't see the moon—there are too many stratus clouds tonight." Strati are characterized by their dense haziness. They are basically fog that sits low in the atmosphere, occasionally releasing small amounts of rain or snow. Sometimes they're called "high fog." In Latin, stratus means "a spreading."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stratus strati

Also note the opposing flow of the marine stratus working northward with the convective debris clouds moving southwest towards the coast.

From Seattle Times ● May 16, 2023

Brilliant red, orange and scarlet sunsets often take place in the presence of higher cirrus or altocumulus clouds instead of low-level clouds such as stratus or stratocumulus.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 13, 2023

I'd started therapy again during a particularly gray stretch of weather; flat, uniform stratus clouds hung in the sky, seemingly insulating us from sun, rain, snow or any variety, really.

From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2023

The National Weather Service’s San Diego station said some drizzle occurred Tuesday morning “from that thick layer of stratus near the coast.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2021

Even Maddie was slightly starstruck, and her social stratus was adjacent to Neil’s.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon

Also Flavius Vopiscus, in his Life of Probus, tells us, That the Franks were discomfited by Probus in their inaccessible Marshes.—Testes sunt Franci inviis strati paludibus.

From Franco-Gallia Or, An Account of the Ancient Free State of France, and Most Other Parts of Europe, Before the Loss of Their Liberties by Hotman, François